Lay persons have conducted at-home medical inspections for many years. Virtually every sick child has been subjected to a flashlight being thrust into its mouth as a parent attempts to ascertain the absence or presence of clinical signs of various ailments. These same flashlights are used to conduct inspections of the child's ears. Of course, at-home medical inspections are not limited to inspections of another individual. Individuals commonly grab the nearest flashlight and position themselves in odd positions in front of a mirror in order to perform self-inspections, such as to view a sore throat, for example. Unfortunately, the presence of the flashlight, while necessary to be able to see anything in the dark recess of a throat, presents a cumbersome obstacle to the vision of the individual performing the inspection.
The growing concern with various forms of skin cancer has presented additional difficulties, as it is necessary to look at virtually every inch of one's skin if a thorough inspection is to be conducted. Not only does this present difficulty in areas of the back, shoulders and head, but inspection in various private areas is virtually impossible.
Various hand held instruments for use by physicians or dentists during examination of a patient have been known for many years. It has also been known to use micro-cameras and micro-video cameras in the performance of surgical procedures. These devices, however, tend to be extremely complicated and expensive to manufacture. Moreover, it is often difficult for a layperson to use these devices in a manner that allows for the self inspection of the type needed in searching for signs of skin cancer and other diseases.
More recently, the decrease in expense and the continuing miniaturization of components has allowed for expanded uses of micro-cameras and micro-video cameras. For example, these devices may be used in surveillance systems and home security systems. It is even known to use micro-cameras and micro-video cameras mounted in glasses or mounted onto one's head so as to record what one is seeing. These devices are particularly popular for use by tourists and individuals involved in other recreational activities such as sky-diving and amusement rides. These devices are not acceptable for self inspections, in part, because a light source is still required for inspection of certain areas.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a device which allows for illumination of an object while capturing an image of the object. It is desired that the device be easy for lay persons to use, especially when conducting inspections of themselves or others for diagnosis of medical conditions. It is further desired that the device be easily configured for a variety of such inspections. Moreover, it is desired that the device be of simple and inexpensive construction. It would be further advantageous if the device were capable of transmitting the images captured to a remote location.